Well, guess I owe the guy lunch now.

Shanny’s new job is next door to me in the NHL Corporate office. I’d ask for some favors, like discounts or something…but hey, I’m already taken care of (boy, do I love those guys over at the corporate office).

Am I surprised he decided to work in the corporate office? NO. I was just playing the waiting game. I had a feeling he’d wait until after Thanksgiving to announce.

Here’s a blurb from TSN:

December 3, TSN: Brendan Shanahan has found a job. The recently retired NHL star will officially be hired by the NHL today.

Shanahan’s title will be Vice President, Hockey and Business Development. He is expected to work both with Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly in the NHL’s New York office, although he’s also likely to be involved with executive vice president Colin Campbell’s Toronto-based hockey operations department.

So Brendan, welcome to the neighborhood!

Official News Release from NHL.com (Thursday, December 3, 2009):

NEW YORK – Three-time Stanley Cup champion and 656-goal scorer Brendan Shanahan will be the guest on today’s edition of NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman on NHL.com and SIRIUS XM Radio at its new, 3 p.m. ET broadcast time.

The second overall pick in the 1987 Entry Draft, Shanahan scored 1,354 points and racked up 2,489 penalty minutes in a 21-season NHL career that included Stanley Cup triumphs with the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, 1998 and 2002. An eight-time NHL All-Star and winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2003, Shanahan scored 50 goals in a season twice and at least 40 four more times.

Shanahan’s teams qualified for the playoffs following 19 of his 21 NHL seasons; he appeared in 184 NHL postseason games, scoring 60 goals with 74 assists. He represented Canada in two Olympics – winning gold in 2002 — a Canada Cup and a World Cup. And he is one of only 22 members of the “Triple Gold Club” that includes men who have won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal and an IIHF World Championship.

The show encourages fans to call in with questions for the Commissioner. To submit questions to NHL Hour call 1-877-645-6696.

NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman now broadcasts live on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET on NHL Home Ice (XM Channel 204 and on SIRIUS Channel 208 as part of the “Best of XM” programming package) and NHL.com. The show will re-air on SIRIUS XM Radio, with archived shows available for download via podcast on NHL.com.

NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman is a production of NHL Radio.

The 1994-1995 season started off with a lockout of the players by the owners. So Shanny headed overseas to play in Germany for Düsseldorfer EG.

He played in only 3 games, but in that short amount of time he collected 5 goals, 3 assists for 8 points.

Upon his return to the NHL, when it got started back up again, in 45 games, he was still able to collect 20 goals, 21 assists and 136 PIMs in his final season with the St. Louis Blues.

It was on 4/27/95 that Shanny would record his most PIMs in a game…31 minutes.

He reached the 600 point mark on March 27th in Dallas.

Shanny was not destined to win the Cup for St. Louis. The New Jersey Devils took their first Cup that year.

On July 27, 1995, Shanny was traded to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for Chris Pronger.

The rumor behind this trade had a lot to do with his teammate Craig Janney, Shanny breaking up Janney’s marriage and Janney’s subsequent move to the Dallas Stars. Shanny’s off-the-ice issues gave cause to ship him off after public pressure on GM Mike Keenan.

Shanny later married Janney’s wife, Catherine, on July 4, 1998.

A couple of weekends ago I read “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch. As I was reading it, I kind of got freaked out. It reads like my book.

There were some great things I learned from Randy in his book, like giving love and a family a chance.

You see, I’ve been conflicted since I was first diagnosed with skin cancer in February 2005 about getting married and having a family. When my grandfather died of skin cancer in June 2007, the look he gave to me on his deathbed was one of those looks you never want to get from a dying man…the look that you don’t have many years left.

I spent most of this year being scared to death after being told that my cancer had returned and in a bad way. I told the doctor, “No, it can’t be, because I don’t feel sick like I did the first time.” Her response, “I think you are in denial.”

She told me that in January this year.

I’ve spent most of this year seeing one doctor once a month, the other doctor once every 2 months, blood tests once every 3 months, and various other tests once every 2 months (including MRIs, cat scans, lung testing, etc.). They can’t find where it is, if it is there.

One doctor says the symptoms are mimicking the first stages of cancer in the body. The other doctor will not say it’s cancer, but there is something wrong. That’s why she has never cleared me to work out in the last year and a half.

The first doctor said that during the surgery, she believed that the cancer had awaken…but no tests have proven it yet.

The pulmonary specialist said that based on the tests, I don’t have asthma, but my lungs are sick.

The only good health news I got all year was that my cornea grew back.

There have been so many problems post-surgery that I can’t even begin to explain how frustrating it has been for me.

January-July this year, I will admit that I was scared to death.

What changed in July? The attending nurse during my surgery asked me how my breathing was. I mentioned I still had problems breathing and had an inhaler in case of emergencies, but I gave him a funny look. Why was he asking?

That’s when he fessed up that I had almost died during the surgery. He said that I stopped breathing and they couldn’t figure out why. Right before they were ready to pronounce me dead, I started breathing again. He said that everyone in that room thought I was going to die.

So my thought was…well, I guess it’s not cancer.

This is where the doctor and I disagree. This is where she says that I’m in denial. I say that I walked in with no lung issues to all of a sudden having a ’sick lung’ that keeps stopping. It wasn’t like that prior to 10/13/08. So what does that tell me? That the doctor did something wrong during the surgery.

Anyone will tell you that it’s apparent the doctor messed up during the surgery.

Well…

Now I feel differently.

And I know that feeling.

The doctor may be right and the cancer has reawakened and that is why my symptoms seem to be mirroring that of a cancer patient.

But I’m now understanding why it’s re-awakened. It’s the environment.

Did you know that 80-90% of cancer in children are caused or contributed by the environment? Only 10% are inherited mutations.

You want to know why so many children born from this generation of adults have autism, ADHD, cancer, etc.? It’s from the environment.

Don’t believe me…pick up a copy of Deirdre Imus’ book “Green This!” Deirdre and her husband run the legendary Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer. What she had to say in the first 30 pages of Volume 1 rang true with me…why? Because I feel it.

Since the surgery, I am super-sensitive to toxins in the air…cigarette smoke and I are not friends at all. I break out into a rash these days when exposed to it…and I do spend most of the time bending over a toilet puking my guts out if I’m exposed to it for too long. It’s not fun.

Another major toxin that my body cannot stand…cleaning products. The toxins released into the air makes my body react very negatively. The first sign something is wrong…immediate asthma attack (mind you, the pulmonologist has said I don’t have asthma), sickness, and vomiting.

When I walked into the operating room back in October last year, the first thing I could smell was chlorine bleach.

Now do you understand why my lungs stopped during the surgery? Do you understand why it now has reawakened the cancer?

The 1990 Clean Air Act listed chlorine as a hazardous air pollutant. It is extremely harmful to the environment and plays a big part in atmospheric ozone loss (Imus, 25).

In 1993, 40,000 household exposures to chlorine were reported to poison control centers – far more than any chemical (Ibid).

The crazy thing is that hospitals, homes, businesses, etc. still believe that CHLORINE BLEACH is the way to disinfect homes because that’s what our mothers have been using.

Well, toxic chemicals were introduced into cleaning our homes in the early 20th century. When did the ozone layer and the environment start taking a dangerous turn for the worst? 20th century, anybody?

No one has done a study on how toxic pollutants have affected us, but don’t you find it interesting that cancer is really caused by our environment?

All year this year, I’ve told my friends that I’ll get better when the environment gets better. I feel like my health is synonymous with Mother Earth…ailing faster and faster…the only cure is to cure the environment.

Well, not too many people are sold on the whole “Greening Your Life.” If you found out tomorrow you had cancer and the only cure was the environment being healed…wouldn’t you do something about it…like tell everyone to start giving a damn about the environment?

What about the kids with cancer, ADHD and autism? If the cure was greening up the hospitals (like in Hackensack, NJ), changing our homes and the environment…why aren’t we doing that?

Why waste all of this money on cancer research when the cure is to change the way we live and cure the environment?

Deirdre Imus did some incredible research on all of this…read her book. It will change your life and the way you raise your own kids.

How else can you explain the steady increase in children with autism and cancer? Our exposure to the toxins is being passed on to the kids and their little bodies can’t handle it.

Trust me, the way my body reacts to cigarettes, cleaning products and toxins in the environment these days…there’s nothing good about it. From someone who has had three tumors removed from their body, we know the second we get sick. Our bodies are super-sensitive to the environment around us. Our immune systems are so low, we get sick very easily.

Why do you think I am currently on cancer watch right now? My body is reacting to everything the exact same way that people with cancer react to their environment. It’s not as strong as it used to be.

I wanted to talk about the big pink elephant in the room for a reason. I was considering putting it in the epilogue in my book. When I discovered that I was writing it like it was my last lecture…telling the world how they can be happy…I began to admit that there was a big elephant in the room.

I started writing the book in this new direction back in January when the doctor first told me that she believed the cancer had returned. What was my denial, became something different.

I know how much time I have left. When you start counting down the days, that lead to weeks, to months, to years, you realize how it all can go by very quickly. With each passing moment, you realize how little time you have left.

On Preds on the Glass, I once said that the reason why I did everything that I could last year with the NHL…it was for the just in case I couldn’t anymore. I said that, because I knew.

I still keep my fingers crossed that the doctor is WRONG, but every now and again I’ll feel it in my bones and have to sit down for a few hours. I know that feeling. You can’t deny it, when you’re feeling it.

I’ve been putting my house into order for some time now. When I talk about building my first home…and it being green, I’ve told people…I’m not getting a mortgage on it. I’m paying for it outright.

While people commend me for doing that, the truth is…when you finally admit that you can’t work anymore, the last thing you need floating over your head are debts.

It’s funny, because I read a lot of books on retirement.

I finished one up the other day about 101 Things You Should Do Before You Retire. Ironically, I did all 101 Things already. The only thing I want to do more of is travel.

When I was in Greece last month, it was on the cliffs of Oia, Santorini that I admitted to the big pink elephant in the room. Why? Because it was like she was whispering to me that she was really there.

Santorini is a very ancient place. Home of Jason and the Argonauts. The fabled home of Atlantis. How could I not hear the ancients speaking?

The dogs of Santorini only aid the sick. How interesting that they escorted me all over Oia…and that is no joke. The dogs rule the island. Yet, the only ones they followed and guided were the ones they knew were sick. I know, because I watched them helping a man that was visibly ill around the village. They helped no one else.

I almost cried when I saw that, because I had to admit things weren’t okay. It’s always easier to believe you are okay…or at least…getting better.

I never wanted my book to turn into a last lecture, but it is what it is. It’s everything I wanted to tell my family and humankind on how to be better people.

I never wanted the sympathy card. The first time I was sick with cancer back in 2004-2005, I refused to let anyone help me. Granted, my friend says that I’m a strong person for doing that. I amaze him sometimes.

Truth is, cancer should be my own weight to carry. It was then and always will be.

There are many things you begin to understand about life when you realize that life is so short. People are so misguided into believing they’ll live forever. I am only saying to myself, “Did you do everything you set out to do in this lifetime? Were you happy with it? Did you do what you came to do?”

I have to be able to answer “yes” to that. The only thing I can think of right now…I’m running out of time.

I know the year, not the date…I’ve always known…and it’s quickly approaching.

That’s why I do my best to live for today like there is no tomorrow.

1993-1994 was Shanahan’s best year all around statistically.

With 52 goals, 50 assists and 211 PIMs…this was his most productive year in his entire career.

Most notably, this was also the year that Shanny got that infamous scar from his lip to his nostril…probably the most talked about game in the history of St. Louis (see Shanny, Year 5 below).

Here’s what happened when Shanny returned to the ice after getting stitched up:

The funny thing about this whole game…Tkachuk got the power play goal during the penalty called on Shanahan for ‘jumping’ him.

Shanny’s answer to that…he got two goals, winning the game 2-1 for St. Louis.

How about them apples?

I can’t talk about how great Shanny was this season without pointing out that he had 4 hat tricks that season.

10/07/93 vs. Florida (5-3) (GW)
12/26/93 vs. Chicago (3-2) (GW)
2/26/94 vs. Ottawa (11-1) (GW) (Craig Billington was in goal)
4/12/94 vs. Dallas (5-9)

(GW=Game Winning Goal)

In 1994, Shanny made his first All-Star appearance for the First All-Star team representing St. Louis on the Western Conference team, scoring 2 goals for the West.

Over the weekend, I discovered that I had a little bit of a cheat sheet on Shanny’s career, courtesy of the NJ Devils (after all, he was a New Jersey Devil when they published the media guide).

Here’s some important info on Shanny’s year (courtesy of the NJ Devils): First in NHL with 4 hat tricks (eat that Wayne Gretzky), 397 shots, and 7 short-handed goals; Second on Blues in goals, assists and penalty minutes (shocker, isn’t it?); Short-handed tallies were the first of his career; Represented Team Canada at World Championships, helping Team Canada go all the way to win the Gold Medal.

Now, here’s something that I don’t necessarily believe is true, but it’s in this year’s media guide…Shanny told the Devils, “Earliest hockey memory is of his brother dressing him for tryouts with his jockstrap outside of his hockey pants.”

I believed the donkey story, but not this one. It’s like Shanny kicking some fans derrieres at a Yankees game (which he told me was not a true story).

On July 6, 1994, Brendan made his first ‘acting’ debut in the film that many would talk about for years to come…Forrest Gump. “Run, Forrest, Run” made its first appearance in movie theaters that day. Brendan had a very small role as a football player in the movie.

Here are some other noteables from the Devils media guide:

His first job was as a paper boy.
He would be a teacher if he were not a hockey player.

The 1994 Stanley Cup still was not within reach for the St. Louis Blues who were wiped out during the first round.

We all know who won it that year…the New York Rangers.

I don’t know how much I’ll write this week since a certain individual in the locker room passed on his flu-like symptoms to me. I plan on staying in and getting lots of rest this week.

In all fairness, I don’t think he knew he was sick the day he was contagious, but according to him he started to feel flu-like by Friday in Boston. I started to feel it on Saturday morning after I vomited for the third time that morning…meaning that nothing would stay down…not even coffee.

So if I get out of bed this week (like today), I’ll continue Shanny’s 21 Days.

But based on how I’m reminded how easily I get sick…I’m going to do a separate entry that I’m tossing with putting in the Epilogue to the book. I’m calling it “The Pink Elephant In the Room.” I’m actually going to talk about what I never talk about. Doctors say I’m in denial, but it will probably explain better why the book is turning into an inward journey. It’s turning into my last lecture.

As for last week, here’s the round-up in Devils territory: Devils Holiday Weekender

As for Shanny’s 21 Days, I’ll have some funny stuff today that I found in the Devils media guide. I think Brendan fibbed with this one just to see if they’d actually publish it (which they did).

I believed the whole kicking the donkey thing, cursing up a storm when Kelly Chase told him, “More chicks for the Chaser,” but this one…I don’t believe.

If you’re coming here to figure out whether to vote for this blog or not on the NHL Arena blog-off, I have requested that it be removed because I am a credentialed member of the media for the New Jersey Devils and the NHL. The rules state that no member of the media is allowed to be part of the blog-off. I have stated this to Leafer Sutherland, so please put your vote to another blogger who is not part of the media.

By the rules set up by Leafer, my blog is not eligible. Your vote should go to someone else that’s worked hard to make it into the press box by blogging, but can’t.

Since the Devils will be keeping me busy over the weekend, the 21 Days of Shanahan will continue again next Monday.

So everyone…be safe, be merry, don’t eat too much and GOOD LUCK with Black Friday! Happy Thanksgiving.

ALSO, before I head out to the Devils game tonight, I just wanted to congratulate Martin Brodeur on the birth of his new child. Many blessings to you and your family!

In year 2 of Shanny’s time with the St. Louis Blues, Brendan began to have the best stats of his entire career. In 71 games, he tallied a total of 51 goals and 43 assists for a total of 94 points. Pretty amazing for a 23-24 year old.

If you’re keeping track at this point…by the end of the 1992-1993 season, he had collected 172 goals, 205 assists for a total of 377 points by the end of his sixth year in hockey…did I mention he was only 24?

Doing a little video search, I found this gem (check out #1 and Belfour):

And I’m sure everyone remembers this video…

Doing a little search on Shanny’s brawls of the season…imagine my amazement to find that Shanny and Darius Kasparaitis dropped the gloves on December 31, 1992. Shanny may be #2 on my list of all-time favorites, but sorry…loyalty would still go to Kaspar (#3) if I were to choose sides. [I owe more loyalty to Kaspar...just the way the cards were dealt over the years. I'm sure Shanny would understand...after all, it was Darius that kickstarted my hockey writing career. AND if it weren't for Darius telling me his story on Shanny, I probably would have never become a supporter of Brendan.]

The St. Louis Blues headed into the playoffs again in 1993. Within 11 games, Shanny tallied 4 goals and 3 assists.

The Stanley Cup would go to the Montreal Canadiens that year with Patrick Roy between the pipes. Guy Carbonneau (future MTL coach) captained the team.

Here’s something for Shanny from a fan on how he became a Shanahan fan:

I started when I bought a Beckett magazine from the summer of 1993. It had an article on him and his charity for Alzheimer’s foundations. That afternoon I played NHL 93 (yes the video game) with a friend of mine and he injured Brett Hull on my Blues team, hoping he could walk over me. Shanahan scored all the goals and fought, and I thought, man this guy would be great if he were like this in real life. As I would find out, he’s exactly like that in real life! ~Angelo A.

[With regards to Shanny's photos/artwork...because Shanny owns almost the entire collection I created, and because the collection is not for sale, you will not be able to view them unless I post them on this blogsite. Although, in celebration of the 21 days of Shanahan, you can check out the background design on my Twitter account (@MichelleKenneth). For each day of Shanahan, you'll be able to see one of the many art pieces he owns. No photographs will be put up due to licensing/permission exclusivity.]

Brendan became a RFA following the 1990-1991 season with the New Jersey Devils. The St. Louis Blues signed Shanny on 7/25/91, and because he was a RFA, the Devils were due compensation from the Blues. The Devils were awarded Scott Stevens and Brendan headed to the St. Louis Blues.

These were some of the best years of Shanny’s career as he finally started to come into his own.

But before Shanny’s career took off in St. Louis, he won the gold medal in the race for the Team Canada Cup in September 1991.

That nasty scar on his upper lip…this happened during his years in St. Louis. 1994 to be exact.

Kelly Chase (courtesy of NHL.com) tells his tale of Shanny’s St. Louis Blues years:

After four seasons with the New Jersey Devils, Brendan Shanahan signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues prior to the 1991-92 season. He played four seasons in St. Louis–and statistically, they were the best of his career. He scored 156 goals for the Blues, including 1993-94 when he had 52 goals and 50 assists for 102 points, his only 100-point season.

“Meanwhile, Brendan’s bleeding everywhere and talking to Charlie. That’s why the people in St. Louis still talk about that game all the time.”

So for those who always wondered how Shanny got that scar on his upper lip, and the story behind it…Chase’s story explains it the best! Icing it with a beer can…I can’t even imagine seeing that happen these days in the locker room! But I can definitely see Shanny cursing up a storm after being told “More chicks for the Chaser.” LOL.

Something about that interview I did with Shanny last season as we were discussing the Yankees and he started describing some fictitious brawl he had…he’ll curse up a storm…that’s why I can see him doing it back then.

I remember hearing Shanny once say that in his younger days the girls used to love his baby face, but as the game of hockey wore on…his face just wasn’t the same as it used to be.

[If you were asking me, I would say the scars made him look more like a distinguished gentleman as the years pressed on. They are his hockey battle wounds. It's like the Sean Connery debate. Was Sean Connery better looking in his youth or when he got older? Most women, including myself, would say it was when he was older, not when he was younger.]

In Shanny’s fifth season and first year with the St. Louis Blues, he saw 80 games, 33 goals, 36 assists and 171 PIMs.

Here’s a nice upper cut [it was the upper cut that had to have really hurt]:

The Fightin’ Irish continues…

Brendan played 6 games into the playoffs before the Blues were eliminated. Brendan tallied 2 goals, 3 assists.

The Pittsburgh Penguins swept the final round against the Chicago Blackhawks and lifted the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row.

In 1991, to help in the fight against the disease that took his father’s life, Shanahan “organized, on his own initiative, a celebrity softball game in St. Louis, Missouri raising $30,000 for Alzheimer research in honor of his father.”